Khao Lak Tour with Elephant Bathing from Phuket

What you will see and do

The tour leaves Phuket over the Sarasin Bridge, where the bus makes a short stop, and continues to the Phu Pha Sawan waterfall. The main event is the elephant village: a short elephant ride, bathing the elephants in the water and a little show by a baby elephant. After that you board a bamboo raft for a gentle float down a river surrounded by jungle.

How the day flows

Pickup from your hotel is in the early morning. Before lunch there is a quick look at pineapple and rubber plantations and a pen with baby turtles. Lunch is served in a restaurant with traditional Thai food, and drinks are included. On the way back you stop at the Monkey Cave and Wat Suwan Khuha, a temple inside a cave with a reclining Buddha, stalactites and bats. You are back at your hotel in the late afternoon.

Who this Khao Lak tour suits

The program is calm and not physically demanding, so it works well for families with children and for travellers who prefer sightseeing over long boat rides. Pregnant guests can join the trip, but the elephant ride itself is not recommended for them — the rest of the program is gentle. There is a single option for this Khao Lak elephant tour, so choosing is simple: book the date and you get the full program.

Practical tips

Bring light clothes that can get wet during elephant bathing, a change of clothes, sunscreen and insect repellent. For the cave temple, take shoulders-covering clothing and a little cash: entry to the reclining Buddha temple is paid separately on the spot. Transfers, a Russian-speaking guide, national park fees and insurance are already covered. The order of stops may shift a little depending on the guide and traffic, so treat the timing as a guideline.